The identity of the senator reportedly behind banditry, kidnapping in Nigeria

An Opinion by Chukwu Sunday Abel

The Vanguard Newspaper’s report about a Nigerian senator being the sponsor of several criminal activities in North East and Northwest geopolitical zones of Nigeria, once more proves Late Sani Abacha’s philosophy: ” when terrorism lasts beyond 48 hours, the government is behind it”.

According to the Vanguard Newspaper, multiple unnamed top sources revealed that the alleged senator is presiding over prominent committees in the Senate.  It further claimed that the security agencies know the identity of the senator reportedly sponsoring terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.

The said senator is also accused of being behind the recent kidnapping of some female students of Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara State as well as some members of the National Youth Service Corps who were en route to Sokoto, state of their primary assignment.

The Vanguard Newspaper quoted the source(s) to have said: “Relevant security agencies have since unravelled the identity of a Senator from the North, who is the chief sponsor and financier of banditry and other terror-related activities in parts of the North.

“As a matter of fact, he is in marriage with the bandits, who have been terrorising the North Central and the North West general areas”.

“The Senator is at the centre of banditry activities in parts of the North, especially in the North Central and North West general areas.

“He knows himself and he dare not try to intimidate anybody because all the meetings he held with banditry and kidnap kingpins in Abuja and elsewhere, are noted by revant agencies of government”. 

Consequently, many are inquisitive about the Identity of the said senator who despite being  crested with the responsibility of a custodian of the Nigeria’s law, is bent on destabilizing a nation he is an ambassador of.

However, is a senior actually behind such heinous crimes ?

As they say, when the bonobo falls from a tree, he blames and accuses the god of pushing him.

Who would become a bandit in a society as Switzerland; which Canadian citizen would chose to kidnap school children to eke out?

Whether or not a senator is sponsoring criminal activities in Nigeria, such a senator is only leveraging on Nigeria’s leadership crisis; social lacuna and security passiveness. He knows because of lack of employment in the country, many will be willing tools for his criminal ambitions. He also knows the strength and weaknesses of the Nigeria’s security architecture which includes but not limited to corruption, poor remuneration, inadequate manpower, and lack needed machinery.  He knows the religious and ethnic divisiveness in Nigeria would protect him.